Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Learn to identify the Ruby-crowned Kinglet by ear. Master the "high thin notes, spirited musical jumble" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Ruby-crowned Kinglet sounds like
A loud, accelerating series beginning with two to three high thin notes followed by a rising jumble and ending in a sharp twittering cascade.
How to tell it apart
Lessons featuring the Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ready to test your ear? Practice identifying the Ruby-crowned Kinglet's sounds in these interactive in-app lessons.
Start Learning Free
Where you'll hear it
Summer breeder across Canada, Alaska, and high mountains of the western United States; winters from the southern U.S. through Mexico and locally to Central America.
Breeds primarily in spruce, fir, and other coniferous forests of the boreal zone and western mountains; in migration and winter it frequents a wider variety of habitats including deciduous woodlands, scrub, parks, and gardens.
Migratory: present on breeding grounds April–September; peak migration March–May and August–October; winters November–March.
How to recognize it by sight
A tiny, hyperactive songbird noted for its constant wing-flicking and the sudden flash of its namesake ruby-red crown, mostly hidden in the subdued olive-green plumage. Despite its minute size, it delivers an amazingly loud, complex song that rings through conifer and mixed woodlands.
Similar species
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Has black-and-white face stripes and a golden/orange crown bordered by black.
Hutton’s Vireo
Larger with stouter, hooked bill.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Longer tail edged in white and often cocked.